mccauley



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN II. MCOAULEY, OF \VIOHITA FALLS/TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO E. M. \VINFREY AND A. D. ANDERSON, OF SAME PLACE.

'WlNDO-W- SHADE RAIS ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,198, dated April 14, 1896. Application fil d January 25,1896. Serial No. 576,849. (No model.)

T at whom it may comcern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. MCOAULEY, a resident of \Vichita Falls, in the county of Wichita and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WVin- (low-Shade Raisers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

The object of the invention is to provide improved means for raising and lowering window-shades and locking them in any desired position. The operating-cord passes over a pulley located between two larger disks, one of which is screwed toward the other by a spring to clamp the folds of the cord and is screwed in the opposite direction by means of a lever, upon which. the cord itself acts.

when drawn in the proper direction.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a window having the shade arranged to be raised and lowered bodily without rolling. Figs. 2 and 3 show in side and end views, respectively, the special devices used with the curtain of Fig. 1. Fig. 4. is an elevation of a window provided with my devices arranged for use with a rolling curtain. Fig. 5 is a side view of the novel devices of Fig. 4:, parts being broken away to'show construction.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, A represents a window-frame, and G a bracket fixed near the middle of its upper part. The bracket carries an integrally-formed horizontal gudgeon D, upon which are mounted two slightly separated cord-clamping cup like disks E E, the former fixed to the gudgeon and the latter free to rotate and slide within certain limits thereon. Between the adjacent faces of the disks lies a pulley F, smaller than the disks and preferably lying partly in each, both in suchcase being centrally recessed to receive it. The pulley turns freely upon the gudgeon and in the recesses, and the annular portions of the disk-faces encircle the pulley and when they are forced to approach clamp the folds of a cord G, passing over the pulley and attached to the middle of the upper edge of the curtain M, Fig. 1, below. The loose disk E has a sleeve-like extension E provided with a spiral slot K, in which lies a projection J from the gudgeon D. Evidently if the disk be rotated in the direction of the arrow upon it it will be forced toward the fixed disk and the cord will be clamped, and if it be rotated in the contrary direction it will recede from the other and the cord will be freed. It is yieldingly pressed in the direction of the arrow by a spring L, coiled about the godg'eon and having one end fixed thereto and the other engaging a lug E upon the part E It is rotated in the contrary direction by means ofan arm-II, projecting forward from its side and provided with an end loop, through which the front fold of the cord passes. The loop is preferably provided with a pulley I to facilitate the movement of the cord; but in any case a downward pull upon this branch of the cord depresses the arm, rotates the loose disk, and causes it to recede from its companion, leaving the cord free, so that a further pull raises the curtain or a gradual slackening allows the curtain to fall from its own weight,the cord sliding rearward through the loop, while there is still enough tension to prevent the rising of thearm to its normal position; but when the front fold of the cord is released the spring rotates the loose disk in the direction of the arrow and the pin working in the spiral slot forces it toward its mate, and thus the cord is instantly clamped.

As shown in Fig. 3, there may be several lugs corresponding to E and by engaging the spring with one or another the tension may be readily adjusted.

When the curtain is to be rolled, the novel devices are placed at the end of the roller in most cases, as suggested at B, Fig. 4, and more clearly shown in Fig. 5. In Fig. 5, .N represents a roller, 0 a curtain thereon, and P a gudgeon fixed in the roller and having its end journaled in a cylindrical boss Q upon the side of a bracket secured to the window-frame. In this case one disk, R, and the pulley F are fixed to the gudgeon, but the other disk, R, turns and slides as before, but upon both the gudgeon and the boss Q. The spring L and the projection J, working in thespiral slot, are both fixed to the boss, while the arm II and pulley I are arranged precisely as already set forth. The cord does not wind upon the pulley, and hence the latter must be of peculiar form, for were an ordinary pulley to be rotated by the mere friction of a cord there must be a degree of tension incompatible with the desired action of the arm H. The pulley is therefore provided with a very deep groove having the cross-section of a long wedge and so narrow that the cord cannot be so far compressed as to pass to its inner limit. With the pulley thus made no pull upon the cord will cause it to slip, yet as the pulley rotates the cord frees itself perfectly when under slight tension.

In pulling and releasing the front fold of the cord the operation is like that already described, except that the rear fold of the cord is not attached to a curtain and the rotation of the pulley F rotates a roller. In lowering the curtain the rear fold of the cord is pulled at the same time that a light tension is maintained upon the front fold in order to keep the arm H depressed and thus prevent the clamping of the cord between the disks.

The devices illustrated may be readily adapted to different arran gem ents of curtains,

and I do not therefore wish to limit myself to the precise details illustrated.

YVhat I claim is- 1. In window-shade raisers of the class described, the combination with two. suitablyinounted, cup-like disks, of a cord-pulley mounted between the disks, a spring arranged to yieldingly force one disk toward the other for clamping between the marginal portions of the faces of the two a cord passing over the pulley, and devices, adapted to be actuated by such cord, for overcoming the action of the spring and separating the disks. more widely.

2. The combination with a suitably-mounted disk centrally recessed upon one lateral face, of a cord-pulley mounted alongside the disk and lying partly within the recess, a second similarly-recessed disk revolubly mounted upon a fixed support in position to receive in its recess the opposite side of the pulley, devices arranged to force the second disk toward the first when the former is rotated in one direction, a spring arranged to urge such rotation, and an arm projecting from the second disk, in position to be actuated by a cord passing over the pulley, for causing a contrary rotation of the disk.

3. The combination with the roller-supporting bracket, of the shade-roller provided with the fast pulley and with the fast clampingdisk alongside the same, a second disk, upon the opposite side of the pulley, revolubly supported by the bracket and arranged to advance, screw-like, by rotation upon its support, a spring tending to force such rotation, and an arm projecting from the second disk in position to be engaged and swung by a cord passing over the pulley, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribi-ng witnesses.

JOHN H. MCCAULEY.

Vitnesses:

McD. CAMPBELL, F. M. KEMP. 

